Burning the Heart to the Bone

On my very first day undercover, the drug lord Gu Chenzhou strapped me to an interrogation chair. He traced the muzzle of his gun across my face. “Do police officers’ eyelashes always flutter like that?”

I crushed the tracker hidden behind my molars and smiled. “Mr. Gu, I’m just here to sell drugs.”

Late that night, he gripped my throat and pinned me in front of a mirror. “Take a good look at yourself.” The mirror suddenly cracked, revealing nine bugs and a note:

“The third team of undercover agents has been killed. You’re the fourth.”